California voters reject proposed ban on forced prison labor in any form
Voters cast their ballots at Marina Park Community Center, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Newport Beach, Calif. Credit: AP/Ashley Landis
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California voters have rejected a measure amending the state Constitution to ban forced labor in any form. The constitution currently bans it except as punishment for crime.
That exemption became a target of criminal justice advocates who are concerned about prison labor conditions. People who are incarcerated are often paid less than $1 an hour to fight fires, clean cells and do landscaping work at cemeteries.
The initiative was included in a package of reparations proposals introduced by lawmakers as part of an effort to atone and offer redress for a history of racism and discrimination against Black Californians.
Several other states, including Alabama, Oregon, Tennessee and Vermont, have in recent years approved constitutional amendments removing slavery and involuntary servitude exceptions.
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